WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

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1. We've reached edition number 315 here in the Wednesday Hodgepodge. So tell us, what were you doing at 3:15 yesterday? Is that typical? On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being low and 10 being high) what's your energy level usually like at 3:15 PM?



That's an easy question for an alibi ! At 3.15 I was in a Dinosaur Exhibition with my nearly 7 year old grandson Toby. We had a lot of fun there, it was very interesting it was for adults too. Normally at this time of the day my energy level is good I would say 8.5 !

2. A frisbee, a tantrum, a towel, a party, a punch, or a curveball...which have you most recently thrown or had thrown at/for you? Elaborate.

Nothing of the listed. I am a vintage lady and the only things I throw is garbage in the bin or weeds in the neighbor's garden a  bag. Nobody has thrown anything at me not even Mr. G.

3. What are three things that would help you right now. Tell us how or why.

cup of coffee, a cup of coffee and a cup of coffee. I just woke up and noticed that this post which I had prepared yesterday evening had disappeared this morning. I had to write the whole thing again !

4. Do you think you're strong? Why or why not? What makes you strong?

I can be strong when I have to, and it's my will which makes me strong. But that's very exhausting sometimes. Of course not physically, I couldn't carry a tree trunk around.

5. Do you enjoy reading historical fiction? What's your favorite book set sometime in the past?

I don't like historical fiction or fiction in general. I prefer biographies, or real history books. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I am still raking my brain how my post got lost ! I had it scheduled on my travel computer. I remember to have clicked on "publish" ! I even checked my other blogs in case I had published the post in a wrong blog but no, the post remained missing. Maybe my two computers were bewitched. 

From this side of the pond

BELFAST

If you do a 7 day tour around a country of course you can't see everything in details. It just gives you an overview of things to see or to do if you want to come back later.

Our tour started in Belfast, and I really liked the city. We had a local guide who walked with us through the city center and explained Belfast read more here.....

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WEEKEND NEWS AND MACRO MONDAY

Belgium had its National Day, the King helt a speech on TV, in Brussels was the annual parade with military stuff and police and of course Waterloo celebrated too. A few Belgian flags were hanging on the buildings, and in our street was none, because nobody knew where to buy one me included. But that didn't disturb the festivities and people had a lot of fun.




After the official side of the festivities there was also a flea market going on, an orchestra playing and a lot food stands too. The weather was nice and the park was full of people. I just wandered a little around and visited Nicole whose granddaughter was selling plates, decorations etc. which were laying around in her basement.

The next day my son came with Toby my grandson, who will stay for the first time without parents here with his little friend. My son's best friend has a little boy of the same age and we agreed that he will have more fun with his friend than with us vintage people !



And fun they had ! Benji is 7 and Toby 6 1/2 but they are already specialists with Dad's smartphone.
Unfortunately it rained and they couldn't play outside.

I thought in order to be all together I should propose to bring the lunch. They have more space than we have to put 8 people around a table. My grandson is allergic to nuts so I have to read the ingredients of each package of food.  I had never thought in my life that in all kind of Pizzas from the classical one to fantasy once there were traces of nuts !! I could only buy two large and added 3 quiches and two fruit cakes. We woman thought it would be for a whole army !



The 3 children had a very good appetite so had their fathers and at the end everything was gone except one little piece probably to be polite. Then they ate 2 fruit cakes with ice cream and were finally filled up. Benji's sister 11, had decorated the table and the two boys were teasing each other.



Benji had given Toby a wig and he posed here with dark and long hairs.



The beautiful garden remained empty, it continued to rain. No luck for the boys. After lunch we stayed a bit and then went home. Toby was so occupied that he didn't even say good bye to his dad or us ! Good sign for a boy who stayed for the first time without parents in another country !

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FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE - FIVE ON FRIDAY

1. Our weather up and downs continue and the week started hot ! The only thing I did was driving to a store and buy two garden chairs, as my son had broken one and I the other. They were on special price and really cheap and when I came home Mr. G. asked me why I hadn't taken 3. I told him that there was only one left, so he took his car and off he went and got the last one.

The rest of the day I spent sitting on the new chair and working on my computer.

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The next morning I found a squatter in the new chair, fortunately I had left a scarf on the cushion, because Rosie had used it as bed over night and was still asleep when I discovered her.

3. Our gardener had come despite the heat and trimmed the scrubs and hedges, apparently it didn't disturb him at all. Now our garden looks clean again. I was sitting there and didn't move besides my fingers on the keyboard.

4. As each year I wanted to go to Egypt to the Red Sea for two weeks, and two of my friends too. The winter catalogue had come out and Nicole and I decided to make an early booking because we are sure to go. As earlier you book as better are the prices. I had to change my clothes 3 times. In the morning it was very warm. A  light T-Shirt was OK. Then it cooled down for no apparent reason and I had to put on a long sleeved pullover, two hours later when I wanted to join Nicole at the travel agency it was so hot that I had to change again into a summer dress ! That's crazy,
 
We booked our two weeks for the 29th of November were happy about all the reductions we got and went out to celebrate that with a drink in a nearby café.

5. It was my turn to receive our scrabble group.



We could play outside, and had a lot of fun as usual. Cat Arthur was happy to have so many ladies around him, he is very social. And when we had cake with whipped cream, he loved us even more !

I lost, Mireille who just plays here on the picture,  has always to bend over to see better, because she is half blind but she always wins !! She is such a courageous woman that sometimes we forget to help her and guide her, she never complains and tries to make the best out of her situation.

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Fast Blog

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

Seen in Killarny (Ireland)

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1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them.

I was more than close to my grandparents, I lived with them until the age of 6, when my parents took me back because I had to go to school.  My grandma was and is an example to me, the way she was, we were very close and my grandpa took me in the woods and explained nature to me, and built toys for me. My father never played with me.

2. What's an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it?

Can't remember anything I was attached to as a child.  Nothing.

3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain.

That question makes me laugh. When I look out of my window I see my neighbour's house and her hedge, a weeping willow and the street. But on the other side I used to have views on fields, now there are houses too. Figuratively I see nothing only the truth.

4. Do you like sour candies? Which of the 'sour' foods listed below would you say is your favorite?

grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats

Have you ever eaten a kumquat? What's your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list?

I don't like candies in general. But all the food listed I like, I probably have eaten kumquat, but I don't know exactly. My favourite food would be sauerkraut. 

5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it's going so far.

So far I can't complain, decent weather, some holidays,  no serious diseases in the family

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I have a decision to take ! Do I join a walker group or not. I am rather lazy just to walk through the world only for walking, but I like walking and take pictures and look around me. This is probably due to my childhood where I had to walk with my parents each Sunday because it was healthy to walk. It was so boring ! Now in Ireland where I had to walk quiet a bit to join the others and not always be the last one, I walked and the next day I felt it in my legs.  I think I will give it a try, apparently the group is so nice according to my friend Nicole who is already member. 

From this side of the pond

DERRY OR LONDONDERRY

The names of the city and county of Derry or Londonderry in Northern Ireland are still the subject of a naming dispute between Irish nationalists (mostly Catholics) and unionists (mostly protestants). Generally, nationalists favour using the name Derry, and unionists using Londonderry. Legally, the city's name is Derry. But apparently the dispute about the name is still not finished because both names are used. To me it always had been Londonderry as the UK calls it and now I learned something new, but it is still confusing, even Wikipedia is not sure, if you ask for Londonderry, you get "Derry". Read more here

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